


Little Guardians

by Luna_Stardust



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Bugs, Mind Over Matter, My First Fanfic, No Beta, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Power in belief, Pre-Canon, The Infection (Hollow Knight), hollow doesn't have to suffer, human in hollownest, less horny than the fic it's based on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27491941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Stardust/pseuds/Luna_Stardust
Summary: If you were to ask Lily how she had ended up in Hallownest in full costume giving hope in the form of small carvings that apparently actually work to fight off the infection ravaging the land, she'd simply shrug.
Relationships: The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 143





	1. Bugs and Isekai

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Hoops, String, and Other Placebos](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25481752) by [BubbleBtch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbleBtch/pseuds/BubbleBtch). 



> Be warned this is my first fic.

If you were to ask Lily how she joined a caravan in an underground kingdom of sentient bugs in full plague doctor cosplay she’d simply shrug. The last thing she could remember was taking a short nap mid photoshoot and waking up here. She had ended up joining the first bugs that would take her, a few families that came together to form a band of traveling merchants. In return for letting her follow and giving her food she did most of the menial tasks, such as taking care of the bugs that pulled the cart, cleaning, taking stock, and keeping track of money.

Most of the bugs she had come across so far were unsettled by her appearance, though the bugs she traveled with had slightly warmed up to her only regarding her warily instead of with open fear or hostility. She blamed most of the fear on her mask and her height, neither of which she would care to change. She towered over many bugs, and her mask was quite avian in appearance. Despite the mask being removable it made her feel more comfortable as the only vertebrate in the immediate vicinity. She didn’t know how they would react to her and she didn’t care to find out.

Since most of her free time was spent alone she had used it to whittle. Wood was hard to come by so she had taken to whittling thick chunks of shell. They were good enough. Her favorite thing to whittle was dogs while humming or singing softly.

She was doing just that when one of the children, Sophie if she remembered correctly, rushed by and hid behind a bale of dried ferns used as feed. Not wanting to scare off the already upset child she quietly approached and crouched beside her.

“Hey, what's wrong?”, she said as softly.

“Don’t wanna sleep,” Sophie replied, clearly struggling for consciousness.

“Why?”

“The dreams might get me!”, she said with a stomp of her little foot.

“I know something that can protect you,” Lily said while holding up a small dark blue dog for the child to see.

After a beat of silence Sophie skeptically asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s a guardian who will watch over you while you sleep. All you need to do is trust them and keep them with you and you’ll be protected,” She said before holding out the small dog. Sophie grabbed the small statuette tightly in her little hands and hugged it to her chest before mumbling a thank you, clearly starting to lose the battle against sleep. After she was sure the young bug was asleep she hoisted her up and returned the child to her mother.

The next day a similar event took place. Little Sophie ran in Lily’s direction visibly shaken, but this time she ran to Lily with tears streaking down her face. Asked about the reason for her distress this time Sophie told her that one of her brothers had taken her guardian after she had told him about it.

Lilly gave her a new one and said, “That wasn’t very nice, If someone else wants one just tell them to ask me for one,” before sending the calmed child back to her family.

After that incident others started visiting her during her off time asking for carvings, mostly kids at first, with the adults eventually following suit. Within what she believed to be a couple weeks, there was no sun underground leading her to base her concept of a day on when the others slept and woke, every bug in the group had been given one or made one themselves. Even bugs at the stops they made had started approaching her for a dog made of shell or watching her work. She didn’t mind though.

One day whilst working on a cream colored dog and wishing she had other outfits, so when she snuck away to wash her clothes she didn’t have to wash them in her birthday suit, she was approached by a large bug in armor.

Lily stopped her humming and looked at him before saying, “Hello, may I help you?”  
“Are you the creator of the guardians?”

“That would be me. Are you here for one?” she replied, reaching for a recently completed one.

“No. By orders of the pale king you are to be escorted to the place grounds for an audience with the court,” the bug said unaware of the complete befuddlement his words had left Lily in.

“Alright,” she said, too dumbstruck to ask anymore questions and not willing to go against the orders of what she assumed was the king of Hallownest, kingdom of the bugs.

The next thing she knew she was inside of the white palace. Lily was glad the lenses of her mask were tinted, because the castle was white enough that she was sure that without the mask she would be blinded. The palace was vast with long winding halls filled with bugs going to and fro and several sizable elevators with intricate metalwork. Lumafly lanterns were abundant.

Lily could guess some of the reason she was here but not all of it. She didn’t understand how her simple carvings could garner the attention of any higher up, much less the king himself. Waiting outside of the throne room felt like sitting outside the principal’s office again. Eventually the large doors opened and she was led inside. Inside there was an arrangement of bugs lining the left and right of the room and one, a surprisingly short one, sitting on a throne. The king was in long white robes and had many horns that resembled a crown, a large bug with pitch black carapace and what she assumed was a helmet as white as bone with two large horns protruding, stood stoically next to the king.

Hiding her nervousness under the best approximation of calm she could muster she approached the throne before stopping at a respectful distance. She curtsied before saying, “Hello your highness, you wished to see me?”, with a calmness that surprised her.

“Yes. We have called you here to discuss your creation which has the power to protect against the infection.”

Lilly barely registered the bug entering the room, even more confused by this so-called infection. The bug was carrying a platter with a shell dog, though she could tell someone else made it by the handiwork.

Pretending to understand what was going one she said, “Ah, yes. I’ve been giving guardians to whoever asks.” She had taken to calling them by the nickname the bugs had given them. The other bugs in the room, besides the one next to the king, started whispering amongst themselves like a bunch of students given work time during class.

“Where did you learn how to make such a thing, and how are they made and powered? Such a thing can help impede the infection until the sealing.”

Unaware of what the sealing was Lily determined that it was a problem for future her, before saying, “My grandmother taught me your majesty. They are simple carvings fueled only by faith. The only other requirements are that you make them yourself or be gifted one, and they must resemble an animal. The ones I’ve been handing out have resembled dogs, since they are often associated with protection.”

The whispers that had stopped when the king spoke returned as an uproar that filled the room.


	2. Guardians and Swords

If you were to ask the carvers of the guardian workshop about Lily one of the most common responses you’d get would include some variant of strange. They may tell you of her habit of singing in some exotic tongue, filling the room with her powerful voice. They may tell you of how nothing seemed to phase her, or even give her pause. She spoke to the pale king freely, even from the beginning Lily was unbothered by his holy aura. When talk about the infection arose her voice held no signs of worry. Perhaps they would tell you of her mask. That unsettling mask that could put even the bravest bugs on edge. Or they may speak of the strange garments she adorned herself with, the ones that hid every inch of her carapace. Some may even swear up and down that she radiates heat, like a bug of the Nightmare Heart. To put it simply, she was an enigma.

After her audience with the king Lily was escorted to the king’s workshop. There she helped make detailed instructions on how to carve dogs from chunks of shell. She was put in charge of a small workforce of craftsmen in charge of carving guardians for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t make them themselves.

She still didn’t know what The Infection was and at this point, she was afraid to ask. All Lily knew was that the guardians worked against it, somehow, and the king took it very seriously. In light of this she opted to just carve and when needed pretend she knew what was going on. Carving only generic dogs did get tiring after a while, so occasionally she would sneak a chunk of shell to carve something else in the privacy of her room.

Her own room was one of the best benefits of this. It was rather large and had its own bathroom. It also gave her a chance to remove some of the layers of her costume without the risk of being seen. That paired with three tasty meals a day was a luxury she wouldn’t take for granted for a long time.

She often found herself one of the first, if not the, awake in the palace. If she could without being seen, she would use that time to take a morning jog to stay in shape. Lily hoped she hadn't lost her place on her school’s track team. 

She had several responsibilities since she was in charge of the workshop, such as weekly meetings with the king to give him updates on the workshop. This had helped her feel more comfortable around the king, enough to speak more casually than their first meeting while still being respectful. The same tall bug seemed to be with the king most of the time, so she assumed they were the king’s personal guard. Lily had never heard them talk, the most she knew about them was that the king referred to them as Pure.

When she first started living in the castle she’d use some of her free time to explore. During one such excursion she had met the queen, a giant tree-like woman, and they hit it off. After, when their paths would cross the queen would sometimes invite her to drink tea in the garden and chat with her. Lily also gained the queen’s permission to visit her garden when she wanted.  
The garden became one of Lily’s favorite places in the garden. It was usually fairly empty except for the occasional gardener or guard, so it was a great place to go for post lunch walks or indulge in some quiet outside her room. 

It was on such a walk where the incident happened. 

She was in a good mood as she had just had a particularly tasty lunch. She was singing to herself as she walked and appreciated the scenery. In particular she was crouched down, looking at some delicate looking white flower when a shadow loomed over her.

Knowing how this was likely to end Lily went ahead and prepared a guardian from the stash she had started keeping on her before saying, “Hello, may I help you?”

After several moments with no reply Lily stood up and turned to look at the bug that approached her. It was a guard. The first thing she noticed about him was his strange orange eyes, the second was that he was drawing his sword. She did a quick survey of the perimeter, but she saw nothing that could be considered a threat. Unless you count some plants and two gardeners, one standing still and shaking and the other fleeing, as a threat. When her gaze returned, his sword was drawn and he was preparing to slash at her. She threw herself back barely dodging the blade. 

Scrambling back to her feet she managed to put a bit of distance between the two of them. The orange eyed guard started to advance in her direction. Not knowing what to do next she did the first thing that came to mind, she chucked the guardian in her hand at his head.

It landed a direct blow and he fell with a thud. She waited a moment to see if he’d get back up, but he stayed down. Not knowing how to follow that up, she power walked out of the garden, suitably shaken, not really knowing what to do after knocking out what she assumed was a rogue guard that nearly murdered her.


	3. Field trips and swimming

If you were to ask the bugs of Hallownest about Lily, also known as the guardian or Lily the guardian to some, the answer you'd get would vary wildly from bug to bug. Some may tell you of the tale of her defeating an infected castle guard with ease, while others would dismiss the story as children’s stories and wives tales. On the more extreme ends you may find some who believe her to be a goddess taking pity on them or some who don’t believe she exists at all.

At the palace security had tightened immensely, much to Lily’s annoyance. Sure she had almost been turned into bloody viscera, but she missed her walks. Since the breach of the palace grounds was a serious issue kingsmoulds were placed everywhere. Most of her time was now spent in her room and she was starting to grow restless. On the bright side, she now knew what the infection was.

She still hadn’t received any news on the infected bug she knocked out, all she knew at the moment was that they stayed down and were locked in some sort of coma at the moment. They had been taken down to the king’s workshop for further study, but she had yet to be updated.

She was in a meeting with the king when she saw, or heard, her opportunity to get out of the palace for a bit. The king had mentioned having to postpone their next meeting since he needed to visit the watcher in the city of tears. Lily descended upon this information like a starved wolf.

“May I go as well?”

The king paused in his paperwork and looked at her.

“Pardon?”

“I’d like to join you on your trip, I’d stay out of the way. Perhaps I could see some of the sights of the city while you talk.”

The king pondered for a moment before giving his permission.

A week later Lily, the king, pure, and a couple kingsmoulds walked through the city of tears. The city was breathtaking. The whole thing was bathed in blue as rain steadily fell. Dark, towering buildings stood starkly against the rest of the city in a picturesque manner.

Bugs line the street giving the group plenty of room. Most of the stares of shock and awe were directed at Lily or the Pale King, if not both.

The Watcher’s Spire was the tallest of the buildings. Out front the watcher and his butler stood waiting for them to arrive. When they did the watcher introduced himself as Lurin, and his butler as Benjamin. Lily introduced herself and reached in her pocket for the gift she had made, a small shell meerkat she had made based on his title.

After the pleasantries the group split. The king and his kingsmoulds went inside the tower with the watcher and his butler while Lily took Pure and the umbrella.

The tall bug didn’t offer much in the way of conversation, but Lily was fine with talking for both of them. Suddenly she stopped. A blinding light in a far away building had caught her eye. She rushed forward in an attempt to get a better look. Suddenly she felt herself be harshly shoved.

The next thing Lily knew she was in the canal. The water was cold and she couldn’t reach the bottom with her feet, the walls of the canal were slick as well. In short she was cold, wet, and stuck. She took a few deep breaths to try and keep calm before calling out for her companion. They were there in moments looking rather panicked. 

By the time she was on the street again she looked and felt like a drowned rat. After that she was ready to return to the spire. As they returned Lily tried to squeeze as much water out of her robe as possible.

Stepping off the elevator Lily gave the meeting room door a sharp knock. Benjamin opened the door, looking like he was about to say something until he saw her.

Before anyone could say something Lily spoke, “I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting, but someone decided to push me in the canal during my walk. Do you perchance have a room I could dry off in, I’d rather not get sick.”

The king spoke first. “We assigned pure to guard you. How did you end up in the canal?”, he said.

“I am to blame for that one,” Lily said, “Distracted by I blind light, I kind of ended up rushing ahead to get a better look.”

“The flash must have been the soul sanctuary,” Lurin said, “Benjamin will lead you to a spare room where you can dry off.”

Lily followed the butler out of the room shutting the door behind herself. 

As soon as she shut the door the king and his watcher discussed the botched assassination that had just taken place whilst the knight stood behind the king, filled with shame.


	4. Lessons and Sick days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week, I was busy. I may not get to update next week because of finals.

If you were to ask Lily how she’s doing not well is most likely what she’d tell you. For starters, she had caught a nasty cold from her recent excursion. Something about being dunked in frigid water, in what she later found out was a botched assassanation attempt, wasn’t particularly good for her health. Apparently most bugs were as buoyant as rocks. In other news she finally found out what had happened during her first brush with death.

Somehow, her chucking a wooden statue at an infected bug had managed to magically sealthem, putting them into a magic coma. At this point she was beyond questioning it. The king considered it a fluke or something like that, and honestly she couldn’t disagree.

The only good thing that had come recently was a gift, a lyre with an intricate vine design carved into it. It had been from one of the bugs of the workshop, a cute little beetle named Lady. The attached letter had explained that she had heard of her voice giving out, and wanted to give her something to make music with while she couldn’t sing. She spent most of her time awake practicing, she wanted to become proficient by the time she returned. Prior experience with the guitar helped immensely. In the letter Lady had mentioned enjoying hearing her sing so, she was hoping to play her lyre and sing during break for those who wanted to hear.

After the second near death experience in the span of a week, the king had decided to up Lily’s security for the time being. He had given Pure the duty of watching over her, especially while she was bedridden and vulnerable. They had been stationed outside of her room, occasionally checking in. Several days of this had given her time to contemplate the strange bug.  
They were only slightly taller than her, clocking in at about 6’1 while she was 6’0. One thing that she had noticed spending more time around them was that they had a certain awkwardness about them. At first she couldn’t quite pin down where she had seen it before, but as time passed it dawned on her. They carried themselves like a pubescent teen. It would also explain why their horns didn’t seem to quite fit. The only thing that made her hesitant to call them a teen was their rank, though back in the day a teen wouldn’t seem out of place in the army she supposes. She was also about ninety percent sure they were at least some degree of mute at this point.

About four into sick hell she was starting to feel some semblance of alright, she could breath sometimes and her head didn’t always feel like someone took a jackhammer to it. It was one of the rare times when both felt somewhat better that she called out to the knight. 

“Excuse me, would you mind keeping me company for a short while?”, She gestured to a nearby stool, “You can sit here, if you’d like.”

Pure froze, their body as rigid as a board. They slowly turned to look at her. After a moment they hesitantly walked over and took a seat.

She started rambling to them about this and that for a while, until a retainer walked in.

“Hello, do you need something?” Lily asked the retainer.

“Our vessel has been in your room longer than usual, so I came to check.”

“Ah, I was a tad lonely, so I asked Pure to keep me company for a for a spell”

The retainer gave her a look, or as much of a look as you could get from a bug, but didn’t press further before leaving.

After a beat of silence Lily spoke to Pure once more, “I’ve noticed you’re not big on words, can you write instead?”

Pure timidly shook their head.

Lily grabbed the chalkboard she used she used for planning out her more intricate sculptures before asking, “Would you like to? It would make communication much easier.”

The lessons became routine with short almost daily writing lessons, along with frequent conversations that were becoming less one sided. 

Eventually Lily was well enough to start. Her lyre was tucked under her arm and a spring was in her step as she returned. Pure would be dropping her off before heading to training until it was time to pick her up and take her to lunch.

As she reached the door she gave Pure one last look before heading in, and being greeted by Serina, the bug in charge during her absence.

Serina was already basically in charge, and her unofficial second in command, so the switch in command was fairly easy. She briefed her on what had happened in her absence, which admittedly wasn’t much. SHe thanked her for her hard work and headed for Lady.

“Thank you for the gift, If you wish to hear progress I’ll be playing at the beginning of the lunch break.”

“I-it really was nothing”

The morning passed quickly after that. Several bugs stayed behind during lunch intrigued by the thought of Lily playing an instrument. Some had put down their equipment, while others tried to hide the fact that they were still there to hear her.

She grabbed the lyre and started to play with her dexterous hands. Her powerful voice sang out lyrics they could for once understand. They were enraptured.

The next thing they knew she was gone, leaving them in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what songs I was imagining for her performance, I was thinking of Soldier, Poet, King or Loreley.


	5. Dancing and Dreaming

If you asked the palace staff about Lily one word you would often hear is eccentric. To them, she was a strange bug with a plethora of quirks. One example would be her habit of collecting worthless objects; it wasn’t an uncommon sight to see her pocketing a piece of broken glass or a bit of discarded metal. According to some, the things she collected could be found displayed in her room like treasures; shiny things hung from the ceiling tied with bits of string and trinkets were displayed in such a way that could convince you they were priceless for a moment. Another was her habits of treating the pure vessel like another bug and could frequently be seen talking to it like it was capable of thought.

Lily was currently nearing the end of her meeting with the king. They had already discussed each of their main points. Lily had briefed him on the progress of the workshop, while the king spoke of the investigation into who had tried to kill her. Apparently, they had reached a bit of a dead end. The only evidence had been eyewitness testimonies, and nobody had been able to identify the culprit.

As Lily finished her tea, and the king worked on some documents the two of them made casual conversation. 

During one of the dips in the conversation the king said, “You have been quite somber, has there been an incident of some kind?”

“No, your highness, I am only a tad homesick. You see, it has been a while since I last saw my homeland,” She said putting down her empty cup, before continuing, “It seems I have taken up enough of your time already, I will be taking my leave.”

As she headed for her room her mind was elsewhere. Apparently her melancholy had become apparent enough for even the king to take notice. Later on she was to greet Monomon the Teacher who was coming from the archives to see Pure, so she needed something to help improve her mood.

When she reached her room and saw pure, who was waiting by the door she was struck with an idea. She led Pure into her room and asked them a question she was sure she already knew the answer to.

“Have you ever danced before?”

As expected they shook their head. Lily extended her hand to them.

“Would you like to learn?”

WIth a step forward they took her hand. They spent the afternoon childishly dancing to the songs Lily hummed.

As Lily spun Pure while humming an old Kesha song someone small burst in, cackling in a high pitched voice. The tiny intruder closed the door behind themselves quietly as they tried to stifle their laughter.

Lily let go of Pure’s hands and tried to straighten herself out. Her outfit thankfully hid the fact that she was red as a tomato. 

The bug that had entered abruptly wore a red cloak, and bone white mask with two horns. With a bit closer inspection she could tell that the bug was young.

“Why hello there, may I help you,” Lily asked.

The young bug jumped, their head whipping around worryingly fast. Lily guessed that the young bug had assumed the room was empty since she kept it darker than the rest of the castle as to spare her eyes when she didn’t wear her mask.

The small bug recovered and puffed out her chest before saying, “I’m the great and mighty Hornet! Who are you and what are you doing with Hollow?”

“My name’s Lily, and Pure’s was tasked with protecting me for a while,” Lily said. As she finished Pure lightly tapped the chalkboard against her arm. On it were the words ‘We should take her to the queen.’

Lily nodded subtly as she erased the words and hung it back up.

“It seems as if you should be seeing the queen right now Miss Hornet.”

“Only if Hollow comes too.”

“Alright”

The next thing she knew Hornet was perched between Pure’s horns, though they didn’t seem to mind. After that the three headed off to the queen’s garden. Lily was never the biggest fan of kids, but even she had to admit that the sight of Hornet rambling to Pure who was listening intently was adorable.

When they arrived the queen was sat at a table, reading a book and sipping tea. The entire scene was rather picturesque. 

Lily called out, “Greetings your majesty.”

The queen looked up from her book and said, “Oh, Hornet, and Lily as well! It truly has been a while.”

“Indeed your highness.”

“Hi Mom! I’m gonna play with Hollow now,” Hornet said before leaping off of Hollow’s head and scampering off with them in tow.

Lily headed to the seat across from the queen and sat down, while the queen put down her book. The two happily caught up until hornet ran up to Lily asking her to join her and Hollow. Not passing up a chance to run, she agreed and the three of them played tag.

Eventually Hornet started to tire. Her speed decreased sharply and her tiny body started to droop. Lily decided now was a good time to end the game, she scooped up the small bug and started to hum a lullaby. Hornet was out like a light, before she finished the song.

She brought the sleeping child to the queen who took her from Lily, quietly thanking her. Lily nodded and took her leave, the bell that rang hourly had recently told her she would meet The Teacher within an hour, and she was in desperate need of a shower before then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought me, but I think it turned out alright.


	6. Teachers and Lights

The Pale Wyrm didn’t know what to think of the strange bug that resided in his palace. He wasn’t ever sure she was a bug at this point. In fact her existence seemed to be antithetical to that of a bug. Where most bugs sank, she floated; she radiated heat only found elsewhere in members of the troupe, yet he would have noticed immediately if a member of the troupe had entered his domain; and once he touched her hand when she handed over some paperwork, and despite her soft shell, he felt something hard underneath. He was at a loss. Hopefully The Teacher could give some insight.

Lily walked to her destination like she had a New York minute to spare. Originally she had plenty of time. That had gone out the window when a light nearly fell on her. Thankfully Pure had pulled her out of the way in the nick of time. After she had to spend a while assuring nearby bugs that she was alright, and convincing Pure to let her back on the ground. Thankfully she was only surprised by the incident in the end.

As she rounded the corner, and found the door she was looking for. She opened the door using a bit too much force, drawing eyes to her. Not wanting to think about it too much, she started to speak, ”I’m sorry I’m late. An incident held me up.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I was asked to greet you, as well as bring Pure for their examination.”

As she finished speaking she looked up to better see who she was addressing. There were a few bugs scattered around the room, but that’s not what caught her attention. Front and center was a large floating jellyfish.

Lily thought only bugs and spiders resided in Hallownest.

The jellyfish, Monomon she assumed said, “The king sent me a letter before hand explaining.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lily said with a small curtsy. 

It was not a pleasure.

Monomon was staring at her in a way that made her feel like a bug under a microscope. There was a beat of uncomfortable silence before Monomon spoke, “I don’t believe I’ve ever met a bug quite like you.”

“Perhapes,” Lily all but purred, a cheshire grin slowly making its way across her face. “Though, I want to know what you think I might be,” Lily followed up.

Monomon was starting to understand the king’s letter more and more.

As Monomon mumbled up a storm Lily’s attention started to drift to a stray lumafly The next thing she knew the sound of her cupped hands clapping together around the lumafly had pulled the teacher from her thoughts, and put attention back on her.

Lily let out a nervous chuckle before saying, “Sorry, I got a bit distracted by a stray lumafly.” As embarrassment started to grab ahold of her she said, “I’ll let myself out.” She released the lumafly and silently prayed that they didn’t notice the pitch of her voice rise at the end, before quickly leaving.

The halls were oddly empty as she walked to her room, suddenly a light fell. Then another right at her heels. The next thing she knew she was running down empty halls as lights fell behind her releasing lumaflys into the air. One fell in front of her, she had to throw herself back to avoid it. She pressed forward once more as fast as she could. 

She darted into her room and slammed the door shut.

Her breathing was wild and her heart felt ready to beat out of her chest as she pressed her full weight against the door. Eventually her heart rate started to steady and her breaths even.

After double checking her door was locked, Lily steadied herself on her feet. She pulled off her mask and removed the cloth covering the rest of her head. Her socks and shoes came off next.

She flopped on her bed and let herself breathe for a while.

The first light could have been an accident, the rest not so much. She had been in the White Palace for a couple months tops, and already had nearly been killed thrice. Her mind was running a mile a minute.

She wondered how long she’d last.

She missed home.


	7. Incidents and Seals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, school started again and I've been having some mental health issues as of late. Its shorter than I'd like but I wanted to get something out.

Lily was calmer when pure returned.

They had to let themselves into her room as she was busy carving an intricate dog. She had started to carve it as a distraction from her latest near death experience, and over time had become fully invested.

When she finished she stood up and sighed before saying, “Pure, I need to speak to the king.” 

The halls were still as empty as earlier. Lily stuck closer to the knight than usual, still on edge. As they walked she fiddled with her most recent creation, turning it over in her hands and feeling all the little bumps and grooves.

She was pulled from her trace by pure gently pulling her to their side. A short bug barreled by before falling a few feet ahead. Lily cautiously approached, trusting Pure to protect her if things went south.

“Are you alright?” she asked, extending a hand.

The bug grabbed her hand and said, “L-lily! There’s an infected bug in the castle. Y-you can help, right?”

Lily, about 200% done with today, said, “I’ll see what I can do.”

After being pointed in the direction of the infected bug she said a silent prayer, for what she was about to do to work, and headed off. 

About half way there Pure grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

Lily turned around and examined them before saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

They stared at her intently for a bit before letting her go.

When they arrived the door was barricaded and a small crowd of bugs surrounded it. With some convincing she managed to talk the bugs into letting her in. As she entered Pure stood in the doorway, ready to jump in if needed.

The moment she spotted glowing orange eyes, she chucked the guardian as hard as she could.

The moment first contact was made between dog and bug the dark room was bathed in white light. When it was possible to see again an intricate design was etching itself on the bug’s carapace and the dog was gone. The bug slumped down like a puppet with cut strings.

The room was dead silent.

Eventually Lily broke the silence. She said, “I’m going to report this to the king.”

By the time she made it to the king’s office she had made a decision to only report one incident. At this point she doubted there was anything else the king could do to keep her safe.

As she entered the king’s office she said, “Your majesty, there has been another incident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to everyone who has left a comment, they make my day.


	8. Tests and Tears

“You sealed another bug? Previously you claimed to not know how to create seals. Would you care to elaborate?”

“I attempted to recreate the first seal I made by accident, and it worked.”

“And how did you know it would work?”

“I didn’t.”

The king sighed, “Then what, pray tell, convinced you to go into the same room as an infected bug with a plan that may not work.”

“I wanted to help…”

“While you’re here, The Teacher requested your presence in the archives when possible.”

Lily gave a quick nod of affirmation.

“I suggest you return to your room for the time being.”

Over the next week the king spent a substantial amount of time testing Lily’s sealing capabilities. The ability to make impromptu seals could be useful. The seals were complex in nature too, seals of that quality could take days to make. With this revelation came some concerns. Not just anyone could make a seal like this, only those of great knowledge or power. The pale worm had either vastly underestimated her, or Lily had managed to outwit him. Neither were particularly thrilling prospects. 

After the week of tests Lily was called to the kings office once more. This time the king offered her a pay raise in return for sealing infected bugs in a more official capacity, much to her surprise. She didn’t even know she was getting paid. He also let her know she had received an invitation to a nobel’s party. 

The next day she was shopping in the city of tears. She had managed to convince the king to let her visit once more to buy some fabrics and lace she had seen on her previous visit. He was reluctant to let her go because of the string of disappearances around the city, but with enough convincing he relented.

Pure was with the king for official business, so she was accompanied by a kingsmould. They were far less pleasant company. 

She had just left the store when she was grabbed.

When she opened her eyes she was somewhere unfamiliar. The bug that grabbed her was gone.

She was standing on an opaque glass platform in the distance she saw a large building. To her right was the exit. As she took a step towards it a figure materialized in front of her. 

The rotund bug in the red and black cloak spoke, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the wretch the wyrm has taken interest in.”

The bug continued to blather on about immortality and how the king got in the way of his genius.

Perhaps if he paid attention to Lily instead of his delusions he would have been able to see it coming.

With a crunch Lily’s fist connected with his stomach.

Orange spilled from the soul master’s mouth. That changed things.

As the soul master floated a few feet above the ground, stunned. Lily reached for one of the guardians she kept on her. 

As it connected, he fell like a marionette with cut strings.

After taking a moment to just breathe, she headed for the exit. After what felt like ages of walking down empty halls she found an area she recognized, an entrance to the watcher’s tower. Deciding that this was worth reporting she went to meet the watcher.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Here's the link to a character reference I made: https://luna-the-midnight-otaku.tumblr.com/post/634882812677406720/a-character-reference-for-a-fic-im-writing


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